Teen arrested for fight at In-N-Out in Santa Rosa

A 17-year-old children's shelter runaway was arrested in connection with a fight in the parking lot of an In-N-Out in Santa Rosa that left one man seriously injured early this morning, police said.

A fight broke out just after 1 a.m. among a group of eight people in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant at 2131 County Center Drive, police said.

Witnesses reported seeing two groups of people involved in a verbal confrontation that included references to gang affiliations, according to police.

Police said the fight turned violent and that a 20-year-old man was stabbed in the arm. The victim did not require medical treatment.

One suspect grabbed a wooden stake supporting a newly planted tree and used it to hit another 20-year-old man in the head, police said. That victim was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.

Police said officers found a 17-year-old boy believed to have struck the victim in the head. He fled the scene but was found a short time later hiding in some bushes across the street.

Police arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder took him to Juvenile Hall.

The boy, whose name is not being released due to his age, is a runaway from the Valley of the Moon Children's Home in Santa Rosa, police said. Valley of the Moon is a 24-hour shelter for abused and neglected children, according to the organization's website.

Investigators are working to determine whether the boy is affiliated with a gang.

An investigation into the assault is ongoing and anyone who witnessed it is asked to call the Santa Rosa Police Department's gang crimes team at (707) 543-3670.